A favicon has been added to your site. You’ve checked it in your browser. Everything looks good. But when you Google your site—nothing. No little icon next to your listing. What gives?
Let’s go through some possible reasons why that favicon might be shy about showing up.
1. Google Hasn’t Picked It Up Yet
Even if your favicon is set up perfectly, Google might not have crawled or updated your site’s search result display yet. It can take a few days to a few weeks for changes to appear.
2. The Favicon Format or Size Isn’t Supported
Google has a few basic rules about favicons:
It should be a square image (usually 48x48 pixels or larger).
Acceptable formats are .ico, .png, .jpg, or .svg.
It must be accessible via a public URL.
If your favicon is a weird size or format, Google might just ignore it.
3. Caching Issues
Sometimes your browser or even Google’s search results can hang onto an older version of your site. Try:
Clearing your browser cache.
Using the Google Search Console to request a re-crawl of your homepage.
4. Your Site Doesn’t Meet Certain Criteria
Google only shows favicons on verified and indexed pages. If your page isn’t indexed, or if your site violates some of Google’s guidelines, it might skip the favicon entirely.
Also, favicons show up more reliably on mobile search results than desktop ones, so be sure to check there too.
What Can You Do?
Make sure your favicon follows the official Google guidelines.
Test your site in Google Search Console.
Submit an updated sitemap or request indexing for your homepage.
Final Thought
It’s easy to overlook something small like a favicon—but it’s also easy to fix. Once Google sees your site is playing by the rules, your mini-icon should appear in search results soon enough.